Joshua Davis

Joshua Davis serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of New Hampshire's College of Liberal Arts, where he investigates the intersection of racial identity, religious authoritarianism, and cultural support for harsh criminal punishment in the United States. His research specifically examines how White Christian Nationalism influences attitudes toward "criminals" and "troublemakers," while highlighting the role of racialized religious belief structures in racially-coded political strategies.

Dr. Davis earned his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Oklahoma, defending his dissertation "Punishing the Wicked: Complex Religion and Punitive Sentiment in the United States" under the supervision of Dr. Samuel L. Perry.

His scholarly work centers on mass incarceration, racial dynamics in criminal justice, and the sociopolitical consequences of Christian Nationalism. He explores how racialized religious identities shape views on police conduct, government spending, civil liberties, and foreign policy, with particular attention to the persistence of racially-coded political rhetoric. Dr. Davis employs quantitative methodologies to analyze how religious authoritarianism intersects with whiteness to sustain punitive social attitudes.

Analysis of his 2017-2024 publications reveals consistent thematic focus on Christian Nationalism across diverse societal domains, with methodological rigor evidenced by longitudinal data analysis and multi-journal publication in top sociology venues. His work demonstrates how religious nationalism operates as a framework for understanding racialized political attitudes in contemporary America.

Dr. Davis has received significant recognition for his academic contributions:

• Department of Sociology Outstanding Doctoral Student of the Year (2018)

As an educator, he mentors prospective graduate students researching mass incarceration and racialized religious identity, teaching courses including SOC 402: Statistics, SOC 697: Special Topics/Crime & Religion, and SOC 921: Crime and Conflict. He co-founded the Dialogues of Contemporary Sociology (DOCS) working-group to advance graduate student professional development and has presented research at national conferences including a featured panel at the 2018 American Sociological Association Annual Meeting.

Through his DOCS initiative and professional service, Dr. Davis cultivates collaborative academic environments while maintaining active engagement with scholarly communities via Google Scholar, Twitter, and professional websites.